Friday Finds

For those of you who don't know, I am borderline obsessed with reusing and re-purposing materials. In fact my office/craft room is full of things that "I know would make an awesome ____, but I am just not sure what ____ is yet" Drives my husband crazy.

Anyway, my find this week is something I hope will help give all of my misfits and fabric scraps a purpose. One can dream. The site is craftingagreenworld and it is FULL of ideas for crafters like me. Ironically, the banners and buntings on the home page have been swimming around in my brain for months now, but I have yet to bring them to fruition.

So I have NO excuses. Well, at least the one I use about not having any inspiration is no longer valid. Fabric scraps here I come.

Second only to the above mentioned obsession, is my addiction to spray paint. Nooooo, not sniffing it, the use of it to transform the hideous into a work of genius! I know, I know its fumey and not very "green". SHHHHH its my dirty little secret. So you can only imagine how thrilled I got when I discovered the all natural graffiti made from moss on the website. While I may not be able to paint a chandelier with it, I sure as heck can tag something! Plus, moss, beer and a blender?! Making the "paint" might be just as fun! Oh did I mention, you put moss and beer in a blender? Yep. I am stoked. First item up for tagging, a cement block with my house numbers on it. So does that mean I will have the greenest house on the block? Well at least the greenest house numbers.

Tuesday Treats

I meant to post this earlier, but I went over to a friend's house right after work. She needed help painting a room in her house, and I'm definitely an eager painter. Sometimes I even get a little messy because I'm so excited.

Anyway, here are a few things I've seen this week that caught my eye; and yes most of it is from etsy. :)

Gorgeous pillow: I would love to have two of these on my couch.

Sweet squirrel clutch: The entire series is to die for, but I'm a huge fan of copper.

Owl necklace: Not copper, but still really cute. It doesn't look like your typical owl necklace.

Copper cuff: Beautiful! I love the organic, yet clean design.

Copper heater: I never knew something like this existed! I would probably add flowers to the middle, or a small terrarium.

Mignon typewriter: I really hope that one day I will find one of these at a flea market, yeah I know it's highly unlikely.

Simple Times: My friend San directed me to these youtube videos of Ms. Sedaris. I purchased this book recently and read through it, excitedly, in one night. I've flipped through it again and again, as well as Amy Sedaris' first book, I Like You. She is so funny and fantastic! Strangers with Candy is still one of my favourite shows.

Mushrooms!! Kaylah aka The Dainty Squid has a gorgeous set of mushroom photos on her flickr. I love the yellow and orange hues, which is somewhat of a recent development.

P.S. Above illustration is by Alessandro Barbucci, one of the artists of SkyDoll.

Projects

I'm in Atlanta right now and this snow is crazy! I don't think I'll be going to work today, as the road in front of my apartment complex is completely iced over. However, the boyfriend is working today, from home, so I won't have the computer for the next 8 hours.

I wanted to take some time to talk about some projects we are working on. Currently, I'm waiting for some clay to rehydrate so I can make more button coasters. I'm going to try out a new glazing design and some new colours. But...we still have 3 sets for sell in the etsy shop! The salmon pink set seems to be the most viewed. I'm not a pink girl but I have to admit, I do love these colours.

I also wanted to show these....mugs I made for my friends for Christmas. They are based off of Xeno Lovegood's mugs from the new HP movie. I used a licorice glaze and a bright blue glaze. I love love love the way these mugs feel, really unique. We will be taking pre-orders next week and we will definitely have them for sale at our next craft show.

Speaking of which, we've got some more ideas brewing for 2011. Nothing has been nailed down, but there is talk of pillows, wedding toppers, aprons for big girls, lamp bases, just really unique items for the home. We are super excited about this new year, what it will bring, and the people we will connect with.

Well, I gotta get some breakfast and start working on projects. Have a spectacular day and stay warm!

Introductions!

As part of my goals for 2011, this blog will be more organized with weekly updates and my personal posts will be on my tumblr account.

So I decided it was high time I gave you guys more information about the artists behind the etsy shop. We are three sisters who are very close but due to distance and full time jobs, we can't see each other as much as we would like. Crafting is one of the ways that we connect, not only because it's just simply fun, but also because it transports us back to our childhood. Living on a large plot of land, we were able to run around the yard like crazy kids, creating worlds and games that can only be described as magic. We find that magic once again when we get together and create things.

From left to right: Emma, Bonnie, Jess

Jess, the eldest: Mother of 3 wonderful children; Owen, Shae, and Bodhi. Jess has an amazing talent with colours. I'm always in awe of her ability to mix and match patterns and create interesting colourways. She's the fabric person in the family, having tons of it stacked in her closet waiting to be used in her next project. Out of all the sisters, she has the most patience with sewing and other fiber techniques. She has experience in film and digital photography and screen printing processes as well.

Emma, the middle and the shortest: Recent graduate, BFA in Sculpture and Ceramics. This is me! Most of my skills are in ceramics, but I love to dabble in mixed media. I learned so many techniques in school; throwing on the wheel, hand-building with clay, foundry, cold metal casting, mold making, jewelry (small metalsmithing), and fiber techniques. I'm sure you can tell I have many interests, but ceramics is my initial love. I really enjoy detailed work, thus I have a penchant for small things.

Bonnie, the youngest: Cake decorator extrordinaire. Bonnie showed artistic talent when she was very young and spent many hours drawing and painting through her middle and high school career. Most of her work is in illustrations; however, she has experience in lettering, batiking, and other various crafts. She has been a cake decorator for 9+ years; which has allowed her to gain experience in sculpting, as well as baking...yum!

Yep, that's us! We are extremely nice and approachable, so if you have any questions or ideas for commissions, don't hesitate to ask.

Have a great weekend and check back soon!!